Topic: Verizon iPhone Event

Apple is quietly prohibiting vacation days for some retail employees for three weeks beginning later this month, a move that could foreshadow a significant product introduction in the coming weeks, AppleInsider has learned.

New pictures claim to show a redesigned stainless steel frame for the iPhone, with new placement of black bands on the perimeter of the handset's frame, the metal band which also acts as the phone's antenna [update: video removed].

The anticipated arrival of the iPhone on Verizon's network in the U.S. will not only increase sales of Apple's smartphone, but will also earn the company more respect on Wall Street, one prominent analyst believes.